This is a record of my journey as a Muslim. I used to be Catholic and belonged to a missionary organisation. After my conversion, I sat on the board of a Muslim converts' organisation and specialised in da'wah programmes, convert management, interfaith issues and apostasy cases. I am an initiate of a Sufi order. As such, the articles and writings tend to cover these areas.
All the Arabic and graphics could not have been done without the help of my wife, Zafirah.

Sunday, 3 October 2010

The Essence of Dzikr in All Sufi Orders

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ
ٱلرَّحِيمِ

The following
is based on an excerpt from Miftah
ash-Shudur. Concerning the individual
bay'ah, it had been narrated by
Shaykh Yusuf al-Kurani (q.s.) and His
Friends in a valid sanad that ‘Ali (k.w.) had ever asked the Prophet
Muhammad (s.a.w.), “Ya Rasulullah,
show me the shortest path to Allah which is also the easiest and the most
meritorious in the Sight of Allah to pass through by His Servants!”

Rasulullah (s.a.w.) answered, “That you perform the permanent
dzikrullah (dzikr dawam) and the most holy and weighty utterance so far made by
myself and the Prophets before me; that is 'La
Ilaha il Allah.' If you put all the
things in the skies and earth on one side of the weighing scale and kalmia 'La ilaha il Allah' on the other, you will find the side with the kalima 'La Ilaha il Allah' weighing heavier.”

Then he said,
“O ‘Ali, Doomsday shall not appear if on this Earth, there are still people who
pronounce 'La ilaha il Allah.'”

Rasulullah (s.a.w.) answered, “Close both your eyes
and listen to me pronouncing it three times. After that, you utter it three times and I
will listen.”

Then,
Rasulullah (s.a.w.) uttered, “La ilaha il Allah” three times, with
both his eyes closed in a loud voice while ‘Ali (k.w.) listened. After that,
‘Ali (k.w.) pronounced it in the same
way while Rasulullah (s.a.w.)
listened.

This is the
method of the talqindzikr as explained by ‘Ali ibn Abi Thalib
(k.w.). It is further explained that the talqin dzikr of the heart, which is
esoteric in nature, is performed with the itsbat,
positive declaration; not with the nafi,
negation of the fancy of existence of other than Allah (s.w.t.).

This
pronouncement of the Ism adz-Dzat is
decreed by Allah (s.w.t.) in the
Qur'an:

…Say: "Allah (Sent it down)": then leave them to
plunge in vain discourse and trifling. (Surah
al-An’am:91)

This is the
method that was taught and given to Sayyidina Abu Bakr (r.a.) in secrecy (to strengthen his feelings) by the Prophet (s.a.w.) and this is the dzikr that can be implanted firmly into
the heart.

For this, Prophet
(s.a.w.) praised Sayyidina Abu Bakr (r.a.), not because of his diligence in
praying and fasting but because of that something which had been firmly
implanted into his heart.

Says Allah (s.w.t.) in the Qur'an:

"Those who believe, and whose hearts find satisfaction
in the remembrance of Allah: for without doubt in the remembrance of Allah do
hearts find satisfaction. (Surah ar-Ra’ad:28)

The way of thariqa’ of these two dzikr, the dzikr jawhar and dzikr khafi,
is the essence of all thariqa’, then
it is circulated in greater details, with Allah's (s.w.t.) Grace.